Sealing strip

ABSTRACT

A sealing strip for use in establishing seals between concrete slabs in pavings. The strip has a largely V-shaped body with a recess therein, the depth of which is greater than half the thickness of the strip, and fluted outer sides which sealingly engage the surfaces defining the joint. A head is disposed at the outer free end of each V-limb, and the heads of the V-limbs are sealingly engageable by snap action. The strip can be urged into the joint in a simple manner and in conjunction therewith the heads are snapped together for the sealing of the upper end of the joint.

United States Patent [1 1 Berghman 1 Dec. 2, 1975 l SEALING STRIP [76] Inventor: Thor Johan Berghman, Tessins vag FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS Switzerland 404/65 Primary Examiner-Nile C. Byers, Jr. Attorney, Agent, or FirmBucknam and Archer [57] ABSTRACT A scaling strip for use in establishing seals between concrete slabs in pavings. The strip has a largely V- shaped body with a recess therein, the depth of which is greater than half the thickness of the strip, and fluted outer sides which sealingly engage the surfaces defining the joint. A head is disposed at the outer free end of each V-limb, and the heads of the V-limbs are sealingly engageable by snap action. The strip can be urged into the joint in a simple manner and in conjunction therewith the heads are snapped together for the sealing of the upper end of the joint.

1 Claim, 2 Drawing Figures US. Patent Dec. 2, 1975 3,923,411

SEALING STRIP This invention relates to a sealing strip which is particularly intended for use in sealing the joints between concrete slabs in pavings.

For the sealing of joints between concrete slabs in pavings use is now mostly made of soft type jointing compounds which are realized either by spraying an asphalt or rubber-like composition into the joint, or by the insertion of sealing strips of rubber, plastics or other material thereinto. These strips usually are of triangular, rectangular or pentagonal cross-section and increase in width from one side surface to the other. Such strips often are hollow. The strips are urged into the joint under a pressure exerted upon the outwardly facing side of the strip. Under this pressure the strip may keel over, which in many cases cannot readily be discovered from outside, and the resulting seal will not therefore be satisfactory.

The present invention has for its object to provide a sealing strip which can be mounted in a simple manner in the joint between conventional slabs or like elements, cannot keel over, is inexpensive to manufacture and to mount, and cannot be forced downwards in the joint by collected sand, gravel etc.

For better elucidation, the invention will be more fully described in the following with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIGS. 1 and 2 show an embodiment of the sealing strip in unmounted and mounted state, respectively.

The sealing strip shown in cross-section in FIG. 1 has a body of substantially V-shaped configuration and is formed with a V-shaped groove 11, two of the outer boundary planes of the strip body being parallel to the side surfaces of said groove. In the side surfaces the strip 10 has longitudinal flutes 12 with intermediate lands 13 of triangular cross-section. At the upper end, each of the V-limbs of the strip has a head 14 and 15, respectively. The inner sides of the heads 14, 15 extend, in the unloaded state of the strip shown in FIG. 1, approximately in alignment with the inner sides of the V-limbs, while the outer sides of the heads extend approximately on an assumed line drawn through the apices of the subjacent triangular portions. At the inner side and the side facing the other head, respectively, the head 14 has a nose 16 which tapers towards its base, and the other head 15 at its inner side has a recess 17 which widens inwardly to accommodate the nose 16. It appears from FIG. 2 that the heads can be snapped together by means of the nose 16 and the recess l7 and retained in snapped-together position.

When a seal is to be realized by means of the sealing strip according to the present invention the strip is placed over the joint to be sealed, for instance a joint between two concrete slabs, which has steps 18 at some distance from the outer end, and the dimension of the sealing strip is so selected that the maximum width of the strip somewhat exceeds the width of the joint when the limbs of the V are compressed. The sealing strip is placed over the joint with the apex of the V- configuration directed inwardly and then pressure is exerted on the bottom of the V-shaped groove by means of a suitable tool. This will force the sealing strip 10 inwardly in the joint until the undersides of the heads 14, 15 bear against the steps 18 of the joint, when the heads are secured together by means of the snapaction device.

As the sealing strip is pulled into the joint by the pressure being exerted at the front. end of the strip, there is no risk that the strip will keel over in the joint. After the V-shaped sealing strip has been placed in the joint the inner sides thereof are in proximity to or in contact with one another while the outer sides of the strip sealingly engage the side surfaces defining the joint. The flutes 12 do not only result in a safe retention of the strip in the joint but will also form passages between the strip and the boundary sides of the joint for leading aw ay moisture. By reason of the heads which bear with their undersides against the steps 18 of the joint, the strip cannot be forced downwardly in the joint by external load, and because of the construction of the heads foreign material is also prevented from penetrating into the groove 11.

While a preferred embodiment of the strip has been described above and shown in the drawing it will be realized by those skilled in the art that many modifications are possible within the spirit and scope of the appended claim.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1. A sealing strip for sealing of joints between concrete slabs in pavings comprising a V-shaped body of resilient material, having formed therein a longitudinal V-shaped groove of a depth greater than half the thickness of the strip, said body having two of the outer boundary planes parallel with the side surfaces of the V-shaped groove and having flutes in its remote outer sides, a head on the free end of each of the V-limbs, the inner sides of said heads extending in alignment with the associated inner side of the V-groove, while the outer sides of said heads extend along a straight line drawn through the outer points of the portions which delimit said flutes in the outer sides of the V-limbs, said heads having on their facing inner sides snap means for securing together said heads in close proximity to each other after localization of said strip in a joint between concrete slabs. 

1. A sealing strip for sealing of joints between concrete slabs in pavings comprising a V-shaped body of resilient material, having formed therein a longitudinal V-shaped groove of a depth greater than half the thickness of the strip, said body having two of the outer boundary planes parallel with the side surfaces of the V-shaped groove and having flutes in its remote outer sides, a head on the free end of each of the V-limbs, the inner sides of said heads extending in alignment with the associated inner side of the V-groove, while the outer sides of said heads extend along a straight line drawn through the outer points of the portions which delimit said flutes in the outer sides of the V-limbs, said heads having on their facing inner sides snap means for securing together said heads in close proximity to each other after localization of said strip in a joint between concrete slabs. 